Inspire New England
Many of you are aware that our annual Inspire New England conference, which is hosted at Manchester Church of Christ, is coming up this weekend and begins Friday evening, March 13. We have opportunities to learn, praise, pray, and fellowship on both Friday and Saturday. I thought this was a good opportunity to offer encouragement on why you should attend.
First, the conference is filled with other Christians. I hope you enjoy simply being around others with kingdom priorities. We are family, right? We love each other, right? In a world that continually divides us and restricts our time together, let’s all make the most of opportunities to spend multiple days together and value our fellowship. Also, this conference will gather Christians from across New England and not just our local family.
Second, the lessons are aimed at everyone. The conference is about strengthening our church and immediate families. Those are not just “church leadership” issues. Elders and ministers cannot directly impact the spiritual direction of your family. Only you can do that. Creating healthy churches only happens when all members decide they want to be healthy and grow. Lesson topics include Parenting 101, Nurturing Faith in the Home, Meet Me at the Table (Evangelism), and Back from Death – A New England Church is Revitalized.
Our keynote speaker, Norman Nuton, will present lessons on Healthy People, Healthy Families, and Healthy Churches. Our ladies workshop features Jamila Lyiscott and will address, “Holistic Christianity and Social Justice.” I am certainly not an expert in all of these categories and look forward to learning more about these important and relevant topics for all Christians.
I could list plenty more reasons, but you already know them. You have heard them and understand them. I also know, like you, that spiritual matters can easily be relegated to convenience scheduling (“I might go if I have nothing else going on”). My prayer and hope for you is to always cherish opportunities for fellowship with your Christian family. I anxiously await being in heaven with these people. Spending Friday and Saturday with the same crowd is an added bonus.
Families, please remember that we have a full teen program as well. It is focused on establishing and maintaining healthy relationships. As one who works with teens, I promise you this is something that is needed badly in our divided culture. I encourage you to make this a family event. Show your children this is a priority and then use it to connect with them following the conference. This is another opportunity to not allow Christianity to become a “Sunday” thing.